Aya cape. Forgotten world

The south-western edge of the Crimean mountains – cape Aya is a unique natural complex, a preserve of republican importance. Its botanical value is in that here, practically in one place in Crimea on the Black sea Coast one can find well preserved forests of relict pine tree of Stankevitch; besides, great areas are occupied by sparse growth of tall juniper trees. These areas represent the extreme western in Crimea part of arid vegetation of the sub-Mediterranean type. It includes separate trees of strawberry tree and butcher’s broom – evergreen relict species which can’t be found more to the north in the direction of Sevastopol. Here one can see a leopard whip snake listed in the Red Book of Ukraine. In the littoral waters submerging its warm waters one can find crabs, squids and mussels.